The Syracuse University guard wears a pair of white Kobe Bryant low cut sneakers trimmed in turquoise for Orange games and practices. He bought them himself, instead of relying on a pair of Nikes supplied by the university.

“I just try to be different,” Triche said. “Even in high school. We have team shoes. But I rarely wear team shoes. I just try to bring my own little style to myself.”

SU players wear identical uniforms for games. They distinguish themselves with their choice of footwear.

Dan Shworles, SU’s assistant equipment manager in charge of basketball, said he’s discussed players’ shoe crazes with other equipment managers around the country. The consensus, said Shworles, is that college basketball players are particular about how they select their sneakers.

“Guys love shoes,” Shworles said. “Shoes to them are the coolest part because they really get enticed by what player they idolize and they want to wear their shoe. Or they want to wear the style that looks coolest. And the most comfortable.”

“It’s called ‘swag,’” said SU freshman Dion Waiters. “Your ‘swag’ on the court. Just having the best sneaks or playing in the best sneaks. Or whatever feels comfortable to you.”

Orange players are issued one pair of shoes for practices and two pairs for games, said Shworles. When shoes rip, wear down or prove otherwise defective, the player exchanges them for another pair.

View full sizeNicholas Lisi / The Post-StandardShoes worn by Syracuse University basketball player Brandon Triche during the second half of the game against Colgate in the Carrier Dome on Saturday.

Since SU is under contract with Nike, Orange players must wear Nike shoes. Shworles said the athletic company proposes “a few different choices in styles that the Nike men’s basketball elite programs are offered.” Shworles then asks Orange players which models they prefer.

If a player wants to wear a Nike product outside SU’s sphere of selected shoes, that player must purchase the shoes himself. SU does not supply its players with customized shoes.

This season, the guards seem to gravitate toward the Kobe Bryant low cut model, which was originally meant for use in weight-lifting sessions. Scoop Jardine wears them. So does Dion Waiters. Mookie Jones has tried them, but switched back to hightops because he ripped the Kobe option.

“There’s nothing like those Kobes,” Waiters said. “So light, it feels like you’re walking on air.”

For players destined to grind in the post area, the low cuts might not be the best option. Kris Joseph prefers a style called “Hyperfuse.”

“It’s a mesh shoe,” Joseph said. “I’d rather play in a light shoe than a heavy shoe. The Lebrons are pretty heavy to me. The Kobes are light, but they’re too low cut. I go by the lightness of the shoe. I figure if I’m going to be dunking and trying to fly high, I need some lighter shoes.”

Waiters and Jones admit to a certain superstition regarding their shoe choice. If either player performs particularly well in a shoe, he will keep that shoe in heavy rotation.

“The white and blue Nikes? I had 17 points in them,” Waiters said, “so I’ll probably put them back on.”

“Whichever ones I have a great practice in,” Jones said, “that’s the one I’m going to for game time.”

Fab Melo, whose size 18 is the largest on the team, said he wants his shoe to be comfortable. But he also professes to prefer “bright colors” on his shoes.

Triche, whom Jones describes as “wearing the weirdest sneakers of anybody on the team,” said he considers the weight of the shoe. He also deliberates style, something every player confessed to considering.

“They’re not going to wear a shoe that’s uncomfortable just for style,” Shworles said. “But I think if a shoe looks neater – or whatever terminology they use – then they’ll wear that first. But for me, it’s all about comfort and stability.”